Film shows a mom's battle with cancer

In a span of 14 months, Lori Benson experienced two moments that changed her life forever. The first was the birth of her daughter, Talula. The second was a call from her doctor informing her that she had breast cancer.

"Dear Talula" is a first-person video account of what ensued. Starting with her first visit to the doctor's office the next day, Benson cajoled her husband and a troupe of friends to follow her around with a camera and document every painful step in the process -- both physical and emotional.

The 34-minute film will be shown at 3 p.m. Sept. 14 at Temple Israel, 2325 Hennepin Av. S., Minneapolis. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by FM 107's Kevyn Burger, who spearheaded an award-winning public service radio campaign about breast cancer awareness after her own was diagnosed last year. The panel will include an oncologist, psychiatrist, geneticist and rabbi.

Benson also will be on hand to answer questions. While her movie's production values are ragged in spots, she holds nothing back in terms of exploring her psyche. And her fears encompass more than her own fate: Because her cancer was diagnosed as being genetic, she also frets about Talula's future health.

The event is free and is aimed not only at cancer survivors but also their families and friends.

No shortage of people in need

When Lutheran Social Service broke ground for its Center for Changing Lives in south Minneapolis last year, the agency knew that there was a demand for the services it would provide. But it never realized how extensive that demand would be.

With the building nearing its targeted Sept. 25 opening, the agency has gotten more than 1,000 applications for the 48 apartments that will be available for low-income families.

"Judging from the response we received for the affordable-housing units, there is a tremendous need for a project like this," said Mark Peterson, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota.

In addition to the apartments, the center, being built on the site of the agency's former building at 2400 Park Av. S., will include job training, financial services, mental health support, after-school services for children and, by the end of the year, even an in-house church.

The project's price tag is $27 million. Peterson said that 90 percent of the money -- $24.3 million -- already has been raised from public and private sources.

On the record

Add Archbishop John Nienstedt to the list of Roman Catholic leaders giving a thumbs-down to Rep. Nancy Pelosi's appearance last weekend on TV's "Meet the Press."

In discussing the controversy over abortion, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, a Democrat from California and a Catholic, said that church leaders "for centuries had not been able to agree on when life begins."

Many of those church leaders were quick to disagree. Joining the chorus of objectors, Nienstedt said, "The church has taught for centuries that life begins at conception, and there is no room for misinterpretation of that teaching. ... Surely, there may be some Catholic politicians who will take a different interpretation of this church doctrine during the coming election campaign."

He'll have a chance to remind them of that personally on Sunday when he leads a mass to which the delegates to the Republic National Convention have been invited (5 p.m., St. Paul Cathedral).

Ramadan is starting

Not to be overlooked in all the hubbub of the convention, a holiday weekend, the end of the State Fair and the start of school is the start of Ramadan.

The monthlong holiday, celebrated by more than 1 billion Muslims worldwide, begins Monday on most Islamic calendars. (Some communities will start it the following day.) During Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. There are also prayers and special religious observations to mark the holiday, which is believed to be the month in which the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed.

An interesting factoid: Studies have found that during Ramadan, 35 percent of Muslim men and a whopping 59 percent of women actually gain weight despite fasting. Doctors have discovered that when the sun sets, some people make up for not eating all day by consuming as much as 150 percent of their normal daily caloric intake.

Jeff Strickler • 612-673-7392